WAUKESHA, Wis. - For the first time in nine years, the Carroll University football team has won their first three games to start the season. The Pioneers will look to improve to 4-0 this weekend when they'll battle 2-1 Augustana (Ill.), who is coming off their first loss of the season, a 41-34 defeat to 10th-ranked Wheaton (Ill.).

That was a little closer than Carroll's last contest, which saw them defeat Illinois Wesleyan 70-23 as the Pioneers rolled up a single game school record 581 yards, while finishing just six points shy of the program's scoring record.

"Our guys played with a different level of intensity last week, as it was a home game with another great crowd," Carroll Head Football Coach Mike Budziszewski said. "The defense grabbed the momentum for us, and our offense kept it, as we started really fast and maintained that throughout the game. It was a great team win and was fun to give that kind of show to our crowd."

Carroll has won both of its home games by a combined score of 121-30, but they'll travel to Augustana this weekend to face a team that also has a 70-point game on their resume, defeating Elmhurst 74-6 in their last home game two weeks ago. Carroll and Augustana enter this game with the fourth and sixth-highest scoring teams, respectively, in all of Division-III. The Pioneers are averaging 54 points per game, while the Vikings are averaging 52.

"Both Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana were picked to finish ahead of us in the CCIW Preseason Coaches Poll, so this is another statement game for us," Budziszewski said. "Augustana is a really good team and they run the ball well, but we have the number one rush defense in the league, so that will be a good battle."

Carroll's run defense has been a brick wall this season, ranking third in D-III by allowing 15 yards on the ground per contest. That defense also thrives on turnovers, recording a conference-high seven interceptions this season, which ranks eighth in the nation. One of those picks set the tone for last week's blowout victory, as Defensive Tackle Helios Martinez returned one 20 yards for a touchdown to give Carroll a 21-0 lead just five minutes into their game against Illinois Wesleyan.

"When our defense is playing well, it pumps up our offense and vice versa," Budziszewski said. "To play a full game on both sides of the ball was an awesome thing to see."

A couple other areas that the Pioneers have excelled in through three games are third-down conversions, ranking third in D-III at 60 percent, and red zone offense, which ranks 26th at 94 percent.

"A lot of credit for both of those things goes to our offensive line, which has helped us get into a lot of third-and-manageable instead of third-and-longs. Our guys also play smart football, so we haven't had a lot of penalties, which has helped," Budziszewski said. "Our run game has helped us in that regard and Josh Raby's efficiency at quarterback has also been beneficial. Minus one errant field goal, we've scored every time we've been in the red zone. Our run and pass game are complimentary to each other, which allows us to keep the chains moving.

Raby's efficiency was at an all-time high last week, completing 22-of-33 passes for 394 yards and four touchdowns, to go along with 29 yards on seven carries and another score on the ground. His 423 total yards broke Carroll's individual single game record, en route to being named this week's CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week. He currently ranks 16th in D-III in passing efficiency (180.3) and 14th in passing yards with a conference-best 312.0 ypg, while also ranking in the top 50 in the country in completion percentage (.684), completions per game (21.7), passing touchdowns (9), passing yards (936), and yards per completion (14.4).

"Josh is playing really well right now. He's seeing the field, stepping up in the pocket, and taking off and running when he needs to. Our receiving core executed the game plan really well last week, which helped," Budziszewski said. ". Last week was the first time this season that Josh has really been hurried, but we feel like when our offense is clicking like that, there aren't many defenses that can stop us."

Augustana will undoubtedly try to pressure the Pioneers as much as they can. The Vikings have allowed 24.7 points per game this season, while ranking 50th in D-III in rushing defense (90.0 ypg), 87th in third-down percentage (.347), and registering a +8 turnover differential on the year.

"Their defense has given up some yards, but they create a bunch of turnovers, so we have to take care of the football," Budziszewski said. They're going to be a good opponent and Rock Island is a really tough place to play, which our players are aware of. This is a game we need to win if we want to finish towards the top of the CCIW and using last week's momentum as a springboard into this game will be good for us."

Saturday's game will kickoff at 1 p.m. at Augustana's Lindberg Stadium in Rock Island, Ill. It can be seen live at https://gopios.com/watch, with the radio call at https://waukradio.com/, via WAUK Radio (540 AM and 101 FM).